High school gets lowdown on pro wrestling

Posted: Saturday, October 19, 2002

By By Bill BlankenshipThe Capital-Journal

Professional wrestling isn't fake.

Sure, the outcome of matches are predetermined, and the in-ring action is carefully choreographed, but "fake is not a good word," a smiling Rico Constantino, a World Wrestling Entertainment performer, said Friday at Shawnee Heights High School.

Constantino was in town to do a media blitz in advance of an Oct. 25 WWE event at the Kansas Expocentre. Wearing a tiger-striped suit and sporting his ear-to-chin sideburns, which he said are real, Constantino spoke at the Thunderbirds' homecoming pep rally.

Before the assembly, Constantino talked candidly about his profession, which he said was that of an entertainer.

He described his roles on the WWE television shows, "Smackdown!" and "RAW," as "a jerk."

"There are good guys and bad guys. I'm a bad guy. You need a jerk to go against the good guys," said Constantino, who is a 41-year-old rookie in the WWE.

The former Las Vegas police officer broke into professional wrestling after winning the championship on the 1990-91 season of "American Gladiators," which he said was "real."

Tickets

WWE Tour of Defiance, featuring five main events, including Kane vs. HHH, will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Kansas Expocentre's Landon Arena, where doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets, which are $41, $31, $21 and $16, can be purchased at the Expo box office or through Ticketmaster, 234-4545, and all of its outlets.

And just because matches are scripted, that doesn't mean professional wrestling isn't dangerous, Constantino said.

The metal chairs wrestlers hit one another with are the real deal, he said, so, too, are the tables they crash through when tossed from the ring.

Although a newcomer to the WWE, Constantino already is well known to fans because of one of the story lines on "Smackdown!" Constantino was introduced as the flamboyant hair-stylist and fashion consultant for Billy and Chuck, championship tag-team wrestlers who made national news when they announced they would exchange vows Sept. 12 in a same-sex wedding on the weekly show.

Well, the grapplers didn't get hitched.

When they confessed their straightness, a brawl broke out and Constantino's character, following the script, jumped ship to the rival WWE show, "RAW," where he was rewarded in his debut appearance with a win over 16-time world champion Ric Flair.

"You don't really win championship belts. You are given championship belts," explained Constantino, who compared championships to company bonuses, which the WWE gives out for good ratings. After all, ratings are real.

Bill Blankenship can be reached at (785) 295-1284 or bblankenship@cjonline.com.